Point of View on the Cask Bridge

In the minds of many, legendary director Alfred Hitchcock’s infamous shower scene in the 1960 classic Psycho brought the phrase “point of view” into the language of the general public. What most do not realize is that those in the many spectrums of entertainment have been taking full advantage of the benefits brought on by an audience being dealt a limited field of vision for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Prior to the advent of film and theater, the best place to find this method in use was literature. The origin of the point of view in literature can be traced back to the earliest forms of literature, where much of what was dictated and recorded was recounted from life experiences. It is of no surprise to most that the idea of point of view stayed, and evolved into many subsections, thanks in full to the fact that every story has a point of view. In the 19th century, point of view hit a creative peak, with the wildly inventive writers of the period finding new avenues to pursue with their works. Stories from that time period authored by individuals such as Edgar Allen Poe and Ambrose Bierce are still read today. What allows Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Bierce’s “Occurrence of Owl Creek Bridge” to be taught as shining examples of wonderful literature are not expert characterizations, moody settings, or heart-wrenching themes as one may expect after studying their other works. Instead, it is the point of view methods that both authors employ that make their works so revered.

When many think of Edgar Allen Poe, their recollection of the man most likely comes back to his gothic classic, “The Raven.” Despite parodies of the story appearing on classic television shows such as “The Simpsons,” “The Cask of Amontillado” is probably the last Poe story the average person will identify by name. The subject matter of “Amontillado,” though, is not something that would normally be the topic of ridicule. It’s a frightening tale of revenge, humiliation, and murder. Just as Hitchcock would do over a hundred years later, Poe chooses for his audience to see the story through the eyes of a character that is far from the usual suspect; a murderer. Written forty years before the “Sherlock Holmes” era of literature, where stories found themselves based on a well-mannered detective who solved crimes instead of committing them, Poe’s dark and moody work is a rarity. “Amontillado” is told in first-person narration, meaning that the audience sees, hears, and feels only what main character Monstresor does. Just like the same suggests, his actions reveal himself to be quite monstrous. “Nemo me impune lacessit” are the spoken words that open the story, which in modern English, translates to, “No one assails me with impunity.” For this reason only, Monstresor plans to murder a man by the name of Fortunato. Never does Poe reveal exactly why Monstresor wishes to go through with such a vile act. Whatever Fortunato did to him, he does not wish to clearly express, leaving the readers with a sense of confusion upon the completion of the story’s conclusion that would typically be frowned upon. In “Amontillado,” however, Poe handles things so well that it actually helps the story. Had the story been told through the eyes of Fortunato, it is very doubtful that the reader would feel anything but compassion for the deceased. With smug and witty comments that almost invite the audience to cheer and applaud Monstresor’s performance, Poe not only allows them a glimpse into the mind of a murderer, but also a chance to judge him. That is a shining example of Poe’s genius.

Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”